Railroad Tracks with a Twist

Upon seeing this picture I was immediately drawn to the curve in the tracks.  I leaned into it, as though I could look around the bend.  I considered the way that this was a twist upon the often-seen photo of railroad tracks disappearing into the distance.  I think this picture works because it breaks the typical conceptions of leading lines by guiding the viewer to look around the frame rather than across it.  I also think that, if this photo were in color, it would have less of an impact.  The black and white puts further emphasis on the curvature of the tunnel, accentuating the ceiling lights that parallel the tracks and lead the eye around the bend.  It also has the added attraction of acting almost as an optical illusion, which I find fascinating.  At first, I thought that the tunnel curved closer to the left edge of the photo, but after some careful measuring, the rounded mouth of the tunnel itself is almost square in the middle.  Because of the illusion, however, I was not immediately aware that this did not follow the rule of thirds, rather, it took some effort to sort it out. ~Jessica Mazur